A man in his 30s at the helm of a pilot boat died during the afternoon of February 24th off the port of Livorno in unclear circumstances after a pilot boat capsized. The pilot had previously boarded the Calypso (IMO 1006544) for routine port entry manoeuvres. After leaving the Calypso he was on the helm boat when it capsized, and he drowned as a result. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. Investigations were ongoing to reconstruct the exact circumstances of the accident and clarify the cause of the vessel’s capsizing.
2003-built, Cayman Islands-flagged, 1,149 gt Calypso is owned and managed by Panarea Holdings LP Inc of Douglas, Isle of Man. ISM manager is Smart Marine Management Ltd of Yarmouth, UK. As of February 26th the 61.5m x 11.02m Calypso was moored at Livorno, Italy.
Cargo ship Swift Hangzhou (IMO 9502609) looks to have been stranded off the Queensland coast after suffering engine failure a couple of weeks ago in the Coral Sea. It had about 79,000 tonnes of coal on board. The bulk carrier had left Gladstone Port, with 21 crew members onboard, on January 31st, bound for South Korea. Less than 24 hours later it ran into difficulties near the Cato Reef. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority activated an Incident Management Team on February 2nd to co-ordinate a response. It was working closely with Maritime Safety Queensland, the vessel’s captain and operator. Four emergency towing vessels and a Maritime Casualty Officer have been deployed to the ship to ensure it remains clear of navigation hazards. AMSA is looking to determine the best course of action. The vessel was assessed as safe in its current position, but AMSA was closely monitoring for any potential risks of movement towards nearby reef systems. The crew are safe and well.
2015-built, Liberia-flagged, 43,498 gt Swift Hangzhou is owned by Tianjin Leasing Ltd care of manager Everest Shipping Pte Ltd of Singapore. ISM manager is Goldenking Shipping of Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
As of February 26th the 229m x 32.2m Swift Hangzhou was at anchor off Gladstone (arrived February 23rd)
Report with photos:
No hazardous substances were released after seven containers fell from the box ship Bangkok Express (IMO 9943889) onto the K. Lotus (IMO 9901362) on February 6th at the APM Terminals in Rotterdam. The Dutch Safety Board and the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) were investigating the cause (IMN February 10th). In addition to the seven containers that fell from the container ship onto the bunkering vessel, two containers landed in the water. The containers have since been recovered. The bunker ship sustained hull damage due to the impact of the falling containers and remained stationary in the Prinses Amalia Port until February 15th, when it proceeded to anchor before returning to Rotterdam on February 22nd.
2022-built, Panama-flagged, 18,723 gt K. Lotus is owned by KLBV1 SA care of manager Korea Line Corp of Seoul, South Korea. ISM manager is KLC SM Co Ltd of Busan, South Korea. It is entered with UK Club on behalf of KLBV1 SA. As of February 26th the 166m x 24m K. Lotus was moored in the Rotterdam area.
2025-built, Germany-flagged, 229,376 gt Bangkok Express is owned and managed by Hapag-Lloyd AG of Hamburg, Germany. As of February 26th the vessel was underway from Rotterdam (departed February 8th) to Salalah, Oman (ETA March 9th).
Cargo ship Sfera (IMO 9304576) ran aground early on February 7th near Seskar Island in the eastern Gulf of Finland, with 22 crew members on board and carrying a cargo of 72000 tons of fertilizer, (IMN February 12th) The crew was attempting to refloat the ship unassisted, but as of February 24th it remained stuck with no assistance tugs nearby. No hull damage, breaches, water ingress, or oil/fuel pollution were reported at this time. All 22 crew members aboard the vessel were safe, and authorities confirmed no oil pollution following the grounding. The vessel sustained no hull damage or water ingress.
2006-built, Marshall Islands-flagged, 40,042 gt Sfera is owned by Rosy Merit Ltd-MAI care of manager DH-Dhekelia of Nicosia, Cyprus. ISM manager is Maru LLC of Odesa, Ukraine. It is entered with West P&I (Eastern Claims team) on behalf of Rosy Merit Ltd. As of February 26th the 225m x 32.2m Sfera was listed as Stopped in the Gulf of Finland.